Re-imagining 2014 Brazil World Cup Stadiums as Housing

Many of us love and loyally watch the World Cup. I for one was glued to the television last June 12th to July 13th during the World Cup hosted in Brazil (2014). Although Brazil did not do well, it was a great tournament and kept the amazing energy the world cup usually incites, along with the cultural vibrancy of Brazil. As much as I love the World Cup, we can’t ignore the issues and damage that comes from a country planning and undertaking an international sporting event like the World Cup or the Olympics. I mention some of these issues in this article, written during last year’s World Cup.

A main issue from Brazil hosting the 2014 World Cup was the stadium that was built in the middle of the Amazon, and only used for a couple of games, as well as the displacement caused by building stadiums. Displacement is an issue that affects all countries in terms of expansion, modernizing architecture, gentrification, etc. And generally is not dealt with in an effective human-centered way. Although the project I’d like to highlight has yet to come into fruition, I believe it would be a huge housing development success if it were to be made a reality.

Casa Futebol is a project that re-imagined stadiums built for the World Cup as housing for the people in that area, as you can see in the photo above. This in-depth article speaks more about the project and its limitations, however I believe using stadiums as housing is one way to integrate development and human-centered design. Multipurpose spaces not only include the community, they also eliminate certain negative results that can come from development such as displacement. People want development and international attractions, but they also want affordable-sustainable housing and to not be kicked out. This idea is a great inspiration for how to put humans at the center of design and development.

Continuously find beauty in the world by constructing other urban narratives.